Fruit-picker.



,"PATENT'ED MAY 14, 1907.

C. B. HYsoM. FRUIT PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED 1350.21.1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

FRUIT-PICKER.

Speccatonof Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

Application filed December 2l, 1905. Serial No. 292.822.

To L7/Z whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, CORNELIUS B. HYsoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Everett, in the county of Snohomish and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit- Pickers 3 and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to i'ruit pickers7 and the principal object of the same is to provide improved means for severing the stems of the fruit and for dropping the fruit into a fabric chute having means for automatically contracting the opening therein at intervals to retard the fruit and to permit it to pass the contracted portion and fall to another contracted portion, the means for contracting the chute being operated automatically.

Another object is to provide a reciprocating cutter bar for severing the stems of the fruit, said cutter bar being actuated inone direction by a spring and in the other direction by an operating cord.

Another object is to provide automatic means for permitting the fruit to pass singly down the chute and be arrested at various points to prevent contact of the fruit until it reaches its destination below the tree.

These and other objects are attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper end of a fruit picker, made in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the chute and showing the manner in which the chute is contracted and expanded alternately by the weight of the fruit; and Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the reciprocating cutter.

Referring to the drawing for a more particular description of my invention, the numeral l designates a wire ring, forming the mouth of' the picker, said ring at a point within thc handle portion being provided with corrugations or zigzag loops 2 to form. gathering -lingers to guide the stems of the :Fruit to a cutter bar, and to protect the fruit from the cutting device.A The cutter is composed ol a stationary blade 3, secured to the .ring in any suitable manner, as by rivets 4L.

The stationary cutter is provided with V- shaped openings, disposed centrally of the guide fingers. A reciprocating cutter 5, provided with slots 6 and rivets or screws 7 to permit it to reciprocate upon the cutter, is provided with similar V-shaped cutting edges 8 and with a lug 9 projecting toward the handle portion of the device. A spring 10, secured to a handle 12, at 11, projects in line with the handle and bears against the lug 9 to move the reciprocating cutter bar toward the right in Fig. 3. To reciprocate the cutter a flexible connection 13 is attached to a lug 14 upon the reciprocating bar 5, and led through a series of staples l5, secured to the handle v12.

The iiexible chute a consists of a fabric tube of the usual or any suitable construction, and provided at intervals with annular pockets b for the draw cords c. These draw cords are endless and are passed around within the poc-liet b and extend thence down to a similar pocket b and passed around in said pocket7 as shown in Fig. 2. Any suitable number of these retarding devices may be used. As shown in Fig. l, it will be seen that when the upper member of the retarding device is retracted, the lower member is expanded and vice versa, so that as the Jfruit drops upon the upper contracted portion of the retarder, the chute is opened at this point by the weight of the fruit, the opening of this portion contracting the cord in the pocket so as to permit the fruit to fall but a short distance, and singly, so that one will not fall upon another and'thus bruise the fruit. It will be understood that any number of these retarding devices, arranged one above the other, will permit the fruit to drop in gradual step-by-step intervals until it is deposited at the bottom.

The operation of the cutter may be described. as follows: The handle l2 is connected to the chute by means of the rings 16. The cutter bar extends at a slight angle to the handle, as shown in Fig. l, and as thc mouth of the picker is held under the fruit, the cord 13 is pulled to sever the stem and permit the fruit to drop into the mouth, as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is,-

1. A fruit picker having a tubular ilcxible chute, an endless cord having a portion disposed longitudinally ol the chute and other portions forming open loops separated by said longitudinal. portion and disposed. transversely with reference and slidably connectlIO ed to the clijutc, so thot when one o'I said operi loops is cnhifrgcd hy the posseggo oi. :m ohjoct thoretltrough, the other.' will hc :tutoiiiziticiniiy contracted mid caused. to corro- Siioiidiiigiy coi'iti'ztot' tho portion oi' the chute to which. it .is .slilhthly coimected.I for' the porpose eet VForth.

2. A fruit picker having c mouth ring having :L 'por-tion thereof hout l'c'versely to Form gatl'iering fingers, e 'fixed outtci' plato pitrtiall'y covering seid 'Iingors, L movable cutter plete mounted to reciprocate on said.

AiKcd cutter plate, e spil-ing to move said 'movohlc cutter plato in. one directionJ n, cord to move it in the reverse direction, mid n, (lifection clcn'ierit for seid cord, su'listmitially as described.

in testimony whereof I have hereui'ito set my hmid in 'l'iiesci'ioc oi two Subscribing witmesses.

CORN ELIUS B. HY SOM Witnesses:

ANNIE M. HARRIMAN, Ifilclmm) A. G'URliN. 

